There was a time in this country when a high school diploma meant something. Today, in an age of endless education, you have to acquire this certification and that degree along with these essential skills to get away where or be anyone. Unless of course, you are drawn toward an unlikely source of intelligence.
During the first century, there were 2 main classes, the elite and peasants. Thus, only the wealthy could afford higher education. The poor endured the school of hard knocks, entering lesser trades like fishing. This is the backdrop of Acts 4, where the upper class attempt to scold 2 unschooled fishermen.
Following their Rabbinical School Teaching, the high priest, elders and teachers of the law were set in their minds to punish Peter and John for not obeying cultural traditions as each spent one night in jail prior to their public hearing. Relying on superior intellect, Peter and John had the deck stacked against until Peter became plugged into a source out of this world, Acts 4:8. After this the religious leaders never had a prayer, over matched according to Acts 4:13-14.
I can relate to this event due to an unusual twist of fate. My parents are both Ivy League graduates, attending the University of Pennsylvania, with my dad earning his masters from the Wharton School of Business. On the other hand, my 2 older sisters and I were average B students, wondering when or if the IQ of our parents might ever be passed on to us. Like Peter and John, I felt over matched until I began to mediate on and study God’s word, Joshua 1:8. Similar to the Holy Spirit, this unlikely source from a worldly perspective has even astonished me at times. If you feel as if you are lacking the knowledge you need, get plugged into God today!
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 